


Souvenir

by girlwonder8



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice (Comics), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Dick Grayson Gets a Hug, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, F/M, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen, Hurt Dick Grayson, Male-Female Friendship, Season 3 Finale, Sibling Bonding, Spitfire - Freeform, Superheroes, Wally West is a Good Bro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:28:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24685375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/girlwonder8/pseuds/girlwonder8
Summary: This thought convinced her that it is time, time to let people in, as Wally stated. She feared moving on because she doesn’t want to forget her boyfriend but she knew that this was the initial step that Wally was referring to. She needed to ask for help from someone, unfortunately, that someone seems to need help himself too.-or-One heartfelt conversation between Dick and Artemis about their grief for Wally being gone set after their mission at the Orphanage and after Artemis asked Zatanna for a favor.
Relationships: Artemis Crock & Dick Grayson, Artemis Crock/Wally West, Dick Grayson & Wally West
Kudos: 20





	Souvenir

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I didn't use "death" directly cause I still hope that Wally will return for the next seasons and until that happens, I won't admit that his dead.

**FEBRUARY 14**

**GOTHAM CITY**

After the reconciliation with Will that night, Artemis still can’t pull herself together. She kept on tossing and turning on her bed trying to forget all that has happened—the fever dream that Dick had, the favour she asked from Zatanna, Wally’s words—everything, everything kept her up and thinking. She knew she needed someone to talk to and this is not really how things are always. She’s been keeping it all to herself all her life until Wally came. That was the moment when she opened up to the word and felt that she had someone. Wally would always make you feel that way, that even when the universe loses its balance, you have him. But now that he’s gone, she felt alone again.

“Fool” and “coward’ was all she whisper to herself.

Her bottling up of the feelings led her to mistakenly kiss Will. She admitted how much she regretted that and how it has only been a spur of the moment situation. This thought convinced her that it is time, time to let people in, as Wally stated. She feared moving on because she doesn’t want to forget her boyfriend but she knew that this was the initial step that Wally was referring to. She needed to ask for help from someone, unfortunately, that someone seems to need help himself too.

That’s when she decided to get herself up and have a little trip to Bludhaven. Artemis drove her car to Gotham’s neighboring city. She knew Barbara could be there given the occasion but she honestly didn’t care. She has a feeling that she needs to talk with Dick. _No one would get her wrong would anyone? After all she and the acrobat had a connection,_ _of course not a romantic one, but more like a sibling kind of bond._

She arrived at Dick’s apartment and didn’t see Barbara’s car. She looked up and saw that the light in Dick’s room was still on though it’s almost two in the morning. Not much amount of thinking would really be needed to conclude that Barbara is not there and they are definitely not having a late night Valentine date. So she climbed through the waterspout then to the fire escape then to Dick’s window. She was about to try to open the lock when a familiar voice was heard,

“I have a front door you know,” Richard said as he opened the window and allowed her to come inside. “it would be more asterous if you just knock instead of doing that.”

Artemis flipped her hair and went straight to the couch making herself feel comfortable, “figured you’re still up Boy Blunder”

“What makes you think so, Tigress with no stripes?” Dick said then smirked at her.

“I don’t know, just had the feeling,” the archer replied

“Weird” Dick said scratching his head, “I had a feeling someone’s coming also.” He smiled and looked at her knowing that they had the same reason why they find it hard to sleep “Anything I can offer?” 

Artemis who was staring blankly at Dick’s center table didn’t respond.

“Don’t tell me you want my furniture?” Dick remarked which earned a smile from his team mate. “But seriously? Coffee? Wine? I have everything just name it.”

“Well, honestly” Artemis paused and prevented herself from dying of embarrassment “I just want some skittles”

“Skittles?” Dick nearly fell down in laughter. Artemis also laughed at this sight looking at the younger hero who she always saw as a little brother. _An annoying one, maybe, most of the time, but someone you can always count on._ “and you mock Wally and I’s taste buds for storing those at the cave years ago as emotional support slash power up pills?”

Artemis smiled at him, “It appears that you have none. I thought you have everything?”

“Of course I have those. How could I not? I just…I just am saving that for you know, emergency situations”

“And this doesn’t count?”

“It totally counts. I think…I,uh, ran out” Dick shyly stated. Artemis looked at the trash bin near Dick’s couch and saw a lot of skittles wrapper inside while Dick searched his cabinets for the candy that his bestfriend’s girl was requesting. Artemis then realized why Dick flushed. No, it wasn’t because he still eats such childish treat, ( _No one can blame him tho, he might have gotten tall and jacked up but he still has that sweet tooth_ ) he was embarrassed because he ran out. 

“Oh, lucky you I still have some” Dick exclaimed as he tossed the candy from the kitchen counter to where Artemis was seated. The guy then sat beside her and popped a bottle of wine open and poured it at the glass he brought to the center table, “looks like it’s gonna be a long night” Dick commented and shot a quick glance at his teammate “glad to see that I’m not the only one who can’t sleep lately.”

Artemis smiled tore the wrapper and started throwing the candies in the air and catching it with her mouth. She then picked up one glass and held it toward Dick “cheers to that,” Dick then picked up his own glass and made a toast with his friend. They drank the wine straight up. Nightwing then grabbed his skittles and opened it. He copied Artemis’ way of eating the sweets which made his guest smile.

“Told you we’re right,” he joked “it’s even more fun when we play catch” Dick then held one yellow skittle with his fingers and aimed it at Artemis, the latter responding by taking a catching stance as Dick threw the candy to the air and to his teammate’s mouth who caught it then giggle. Artemis repeated the same and held out a red skittle and threw it at Dick. They kind of gotten themselves into a little game of catch without knowing it.

“You know I don’t believe you then” Artemis said as she leaned on the couch and looked away again.

Dick, who immediately got her point that she was talking about him and his best pal, responded “No, you don’t,” Artemis turned to face him again and Dick’s grin started to curve widely on his face “at first, then we’ll prove a point then you’ll believe us later on.” They both laugh at that thought.

Dick could not have been more right with that observation. Artemis found their friendship weird the first time she met them and even more so each day she spent with them. She can never fully understand the platonic relationship between Robin and KF but it was deep and unwavering. Given the fact that Wally was the first one to come in between Robin and his mask, both Artemis and Dick knew that Wally West was trustworthy and selfless. He would move heaven and earth for those he loves.

When the jolly atmosphere subsided, tears started to ran down Artemis’ cheeks. She let her face rest in her hands and bowed down as she continuously sobbed. Dick placed his arm around her and remained silent. The silence filling the atmosphere was surprisingly comforting. The two heroes just enjoyed each other’s company until Dick finally spoke up and said, “I miss him too. Badly”

Artemis tried to speak but the words wouldn’t come out. Dick patiently waited knowing that she wanted to vent them out.

“I *sniff* asked *sniff* Zee to help *sniff* say *sniff* goodbye.” Dick was shocked but he didn’t really show it realizing that what happened was absolutely an aftershock of Wally’s unexpected farewell.

“m sorry. I…I needed *sniff* that”

“I wanted *sniff* him and feel *sniff* again but he said...live and strong but *sniff* ‘m not and can’t,” Dick could feel his heart breaking for her. He rubbed her back with one hand as the other pressed her arm. The night was awfully cold and dark for these kinds of emotions to flood but they need to.

“Artemis, Artemis, look at me,” he said as he held the woman’s shoulders with both his hands making her face him.

“You don’t have to feel sorry for that. As you have told me at the Orphanage, Wally is always at our side and always will be.” Artemis just then let her face rest on Dick’s chest. Dick hugged his teammate and placed his chin on her head. “There are just some things that we hid for so long, emotions that we fail to speak of that somehow eats us alive. I really didn’t want you guys to feel how I hacked into our memories during that fight but I can’t stop it. The more I try , the more I deny it, the stronger it gets into me. So I just enjoyed that moment and it somehow helped me.”

“You’re not alone, Arty.” Dick said as he let go of the hug and looked at the blonde girl again, “You never have been.”

“I’m just afraid.” Artemis answered, “I want to move on but I don’t want to forget but I can’t get the thoughts of him disappearing, the nightmares, those bad memories and sad ones out of my mind. I feel weak.”

“But that’s not how it is.” Dick muttered, “you and I have been through a lot. With all that drama in our family and the hero gig, no one can say that we aren’t are strong. When you said that those flashes of reminisce make us sad, you’re right, no doubt about that. But when you said that it made us weak then I’ll have to protest.”

Artemis’ tears suddenly stopped as Dick continued, “You and I are the only ones in the team without superpowers and I might not have mentioned it then but on every mission, you’re one of my powerhouse. I don’t know. There’s just this unexplainable comfort that someone would understand how it was. We had a lot of things in common, not to mention the scars that life left us with. I, too, have attempted to forget all that’s happened but it turns out we can’t. And we won’t ever be.”

Dick paused and sighed, “We only learn to live with them.” He smiled at Artemis and continued “Maybe moving on doesn’t mean that we should forget. Of course, Wally doesn’t want us to do that. He’ll totally rise from the dead the moment we do and I think it’s positively impossible to forget that dork. Moving on is just accepting how things went and being traught about them.”

Artemis smiled and wiped her tears with her sleeves, “You sound so wise saying that you know”

“Count this as the only few times you take my words seriously also,”

“Well, it’s your fault since you’re most of the time irritating”

“That’s just my charm” Dick then laughed

“But seriously, Arty. I wish I could only remember the good ones. I wish I could only feel the happiness of having Wally around and not the pain of him being gone. But…but it’s all part of it. The memories he left is just etched in our being.”

“We really are on the same boat, Nightfling.”

Dick laugh and said, “At least we have these to remember him right. It’s kind of Wally’s mark, he left us with a stamp, no, more like a—“

“A souvenir?” Artemis ended Richard’s sentence and the two heroes laughed.

They remained in the couch as they waited for the sun to rise, traces of yellow and red-orange colors paint the sky. Wally might not have been with them now but he left something for everyone—that as long as the sun rises, we can continue living our lives. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! I hope y'all feeling the aster and staying whelmed. I'm rewatching season 3 and just got this idea so I wrote it down. I hope you like it! Please leave some hearts and comments since hearing from you totally gets me whelmed. 
> 
> Lots of love,  
> g1der


End file.
